Blog12daysofxmas Post 8 - Books of 2012

Today's Destiny Card is Satisfaction.

So here is a post with all the books that I read in 2012 and an * indicates that they provided me with great satisfaction. 

Note these are in no particular order:

• The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts (book 3 in the InnsBoro Triology) *
• Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller (book 2 in the Parable, Montana Series) *
• Brumby's Run by Jennifer Scoullar *
• Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey *
• Killjoy by Julie Garwood *
• Murder List by Julie Garwood *
• The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood *
• Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller (book 1 in the Parable, Montana Series) *
• Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr
• Cowboy Trouble by Joanne Kennedy
• Red's Hot Cowboy by Carolyn Brown *
• Jilted by Rachael Johns
• Virgin River by Robyn Carr 
• Burning Lies by Helene Young *
• Morgan's Law by Karly Lane *
• Heart of the Valley by Cathryn Hein *
• The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (book 2 in the InnsBoro Triology) *
• Jacaranda by Mandy Magro
• Wattle Creek by Fiona McCallum *
• The Witness by Nora Roberts *
• Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: a Love Story by Ree Drummond
• The Mother's Group by Fiona Higgins
• Dead Heat by Bronwyn Parry *
• Scared Yet? by Jayne Ford *
• Purple Roads by Fleur McDonald *
• The Road Home by Fiona Palmer *
• Under Southern Skies by Anne McCullagh Rennie
• Bella's Run by Margareta Osborn *
• The Girl in Steel Capped Boots by Loretta Hill *
• Nowhere Else by Fiona McCallum *
• Wishes and Stitches by Rachael Herron (book 3 of Cypress Hollow Yarn series) *
• Montana Creeds: Logan by Linda Lael Miller (book 1 of Montana Creeds series) *
• The Fix by Nick Earls *
• Montana Creeds: Dylan by Linda Lael Miller (book 2 of the Montana Creeds series) *
• Montana Creeds: Tyler by Linda Lael Miller (book 3 of Montana Creeds series) *
• McKettricks Choice by Linda Lael Miller (book 4 of The McKettricks Series) *
• McKettricks Luck by Linda Lael Miller (book 6 of The McKettricks Series) *
• McKettricks Pride by Linda Lael Miller (book 7 of The McKettricks Series) *
• McKettricks Heart by Linda Lael Miller (book 8 of The McKettricks Series) *
• Red Hot by Ann B. Harrison
• A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn *
• Bridie's Choice by Karly Lane *
• Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye *
• A Summer Down Under by Adrianna Blakeley *
• Blindsided by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle (book 1 of the Sentinel Securities series) *
• Her Forbidden Hero by Laura Kaye *
• Man Drought by Rachael Johns *
• Operation Date with Destiny by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle (book 4 of the Operation series) *
• Operation Swift Mercy by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle (book 3 of the Operation series) *
• Operation Willow Quest by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle (book 2 of the Operation series) *
• Operation Summer Storm by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle (book 1 of the Operation series) *
• Fallout by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle *
• The Outback Doctor's Surprise Bride by Amy Andrews
• Career Girl in the Country by Fiona Lowe *
• A Wedding in Warragurra by Fiona Lowe *
• Top-Notch Doc, Outback Bride by Melanie Milburne
• Molly Coopers Dream Date by Barbara Hannay *
• Stella Makes Good by Lisa Heidke *
• Beyond Fear by Jaye Ford *
• Queen of the Road by Tricia Stringer 
• Taming the Outback by Ann B. Harrison *
• An Outback Chance by Chris Versace *

Wow, I didn't think I had read that many but it may not be much compared to others.  There are also some library industry books I read to review for Australian Library Journal but I won't list them here.

Has anyone read any of the same books I've read?  What good books did you read in 2012?

I already have a number of books purchased from online places ready to read in ebook format for 2013.  Let's hope I get through just as many as I did in 2012.

Blog December Post 31/Blog12daysxmas Post 7 - IRL

Today's Destiny Card is Efficiency.

On the 7th day of Christmas.... we went for a swim at the beach in the morning and I met a twitter friend in the afternoon.

Prior to today I had only had brief twitter conversations with @lv2photoWorld but because @leesaphilip mentioned to me that @lv2photoWorld was going to be in my town for a few days and put us in contact, we manage to meet IRL (in real life).

@lv2photoWorld and I have some common library industry friends which made conversation a bit easier to get started.  But then we found out something that threw me for a six.  I asked @lv2photoWorld where she lived and that triggered me to mention that I know someone that lives in the same area and would you believe that they are the same people that are looking after @lv2photoWorld animals!!  It is such a small world!!

Since moving down here from Qld, Twitter has been an excellent tool for me to keep in contact with friends, but is also a great networking tool.  I don't get too many networking opportunities, other than once a year conferences and the odd professional development opportunity that may bring me in contact with others in my profession that I am yet to meet.  Twitter allows me to keep networking from the comfort of my home, office or wherever I may be, and to meet new people in my industry.

I can't wait to meet more of my Twitter friends that I haven't met IRL.

Well this is the last post of Blog December but I have another 5 posts left on #blog12daysxmas so I will continue for the next 5 days.  Who knows, it may become a new year resolution of mine to continue to blog regularly to force me to reflect more often.  That said, I don't like to do resolutions - possibly because I don't follow through with them all or I feel too much pressure to do them all!  But isn't that why we make them??

I had planned to list all the books I read in 2012 in this post, but I think I'll leave it to the next post.  I don't think I will get to read as much in 2013 due to my extra job I'm taking on - but I hope to find time to jump in on the regular twitter chats for Read Write Play #rwpchat so I better read something so I can contribute!

Till next year.....

Blog December Post 30/Blog12daysxmas post 6 - Rise of the Guardians

Ok this is a day late and I don't even remember what yesterday's Destiny Card was.  You will get two posts today - one this morning and one this evening - lucky you!

On the 6th day of Christmas.... I took my daughter and a friend and her daughter to the Nambucca Cinema to see Rise of the Guardians.

This is the second time my daughter has been to the cinema.  The movie was very good, however I can't help but think that more and more the kids movies are providing more entertainment for the adults rather than the kids.

My friend and I had moments of laughing out loud where no one else in the cinema was laughing.  It could be down to our sense of humour but I think some of the humour was lost on the kids.  I think some of it was due to the fast pace of the movie, not that the kids didn't get it.

Anyway, the idea behind the movie was a great one.  Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman (the guy who gives us dreams) are under attack by Pitch Black (the boogey man).  The Moon has appointed Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Sandman as Guardians to protect the children's beliefs and imagination.

Jack Frost has been wondering what his role is in life since being appointed Jack Frost by the moon.  He doesn't know what his life was before becoming Jack Frost.  So when he is also appointed a Guardian, he is not sure of his role as the children don't believe in him because they can't see him and they don't know what he does.

I won't spoil the story, other than to say it was lots of fun and I recommend anyone with young children to take them along to see it.

Once home, I went for my walk and purchased some bubbly with plans to listen to some tunes (which some of you may have noticed I posted lyrics and youtube clips on Facebook).

So this is why there was no blog post yesterday, because I was under the influence and couldn't really manage to link thoughts into a blog post - it happens to the best of us and I know that I should've held off till tonight when most others will be having a glass of bubbly but very rarely do I see the New Year in anyway and I hope to be down the beach on New Year's day not nursing a hang over.

Blog December Post 29/Blog12daysxmas post 5 - Thank you kindly

Today's Destiny Card is Strength.

On the fourth day of Christmas..... we watched 3 episodes of Due South.

My love for Due South started in my teens - I think I was about 16 when it first appeared on Australian TV stations.  My raging hormones instantly found attraction with the handsome Canadian Mountie, Benton Fraser (Paul Gross).  I even have an autographed photograph of him in full Mountie uniform.

The show itself, mixes humour, drama and suspense all in one.  The chemistry of the characters is something rarely found these days.  And the music soundtrack allowed me to find one of my favourite artists, Sarah McLachlan.

I recorded every episode I could on video tape but then lost most of them when I moved out of home.  However, luck was on my side when they started repeating the episodes and then continuing the series when I was in my early 20's and living in Emerald, Central Qld.  So I once again began recording all the episodes.

It was a bit of a shock in season 3 when old Ray left and new Ray started.  But it also resulted in my Mountie crush lessening a little and allowing a Kowalski crush to develop.

I had missed a few episodes so joined the Australian fan club and met up with fellow fans who could fill in the gaps of my collection and share my love of this wonderful show.

I could continue raving about this show but will probably bore you all to tears.  But now as an adult I have slowly purchased all 3 seasons on DVD, plus the special release episodes.  I also have both soundtracks for Seasons 1 and 2, and Season 3.

My husband now shares my love of this TV show, just as he got me to love Stargate (we have every season of Stargate as well - it must be a Canadian thing).

It is funny because both of these shows have inside jokes that only die hard fans get.  I'm sure you are all die hard fans of TV shows or movies and have moments when you are watching with friends and you laugh but no one else get's it - well these TV shows have these moments for both my husband and I.

I also like that Stargate has some MacGyver isms and when Peter DeLuise took over writing and directing the show, it also had some 21 Jump Street isms too.

What TV shows/movies are you a die hard fan of?  Or that make you laugh when no one else gets it?

Blog December Post 28/Blog12daysxmas Post 4 - Core Services?

Excuse my mistake yesterday with the number of Blog December post - it should've been 27 not 28 as 28 is today.

Today's Destiny Card is Care.

On the 4th day of Christmas.... I had an interesting twitter debate concerning core/traditional library services.  This meant that I started thinking about work, duh!

This then lead me to read the latest and final edition of APLIS.  Yes APLIS is no longer being published - which is a bit sad really as it always had some great articles focusing on Australian and New Zealand public libraries.

Anyway, back to the twitter debate.  One article out of APLIS caught my eye (well actually two articles but this was the first one): OUR LEARNING LANDSCAPE: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND
POSSIBILITIES Sue Roberts Chief Executive Officer and State Librarian, State Library of Victoria, Aplis 25(4) December 2012.

The article starts by saying: Libraries are operating in a rapidly changing information, pedagogic and technological environment. In this context, libraries have been redefined as facilitators of access to a world of information far beyond physical collections, providing access to global information through online resources and systems; many have also positioned themselves as facilitators of learning, with the emphasis on informal and lifelong learning, and as physical and virtual spaces for community engagement and connection.

I've sort of blogged about this before and fear I may be sounding like a bit of a broken record but what of the one person library or the libraries that require refurbishing or rebuilding but don't have the funds to do so - will they be left behind?  Will their communities be left without a library or a building full of books that is not being used?  What of our traditional/core services and what are they?

After a bit of searching via Google, I couldn't really find a list anywhere of core library services - I was looking for public libraries.  What are your thoughts on core library services?

Wood County District Public Library lists its core services as:

• Quality customer service
• Providing materials and resources that meet the needs and wishes of our diverse and growing community
• Babies & Preschoolers’ “Door to Learning”
• Sharing materials within the “Serving Every Ohioan” Library Consortium
• Bowling Green and Wood County history and genealogy information
• Connecting the collections to our communities through programming, literacy, bookmobile and outreach services
• Community gathering place

Do you agree with this list or does the list have to come from the community the library serves?  Does the community determine core services?

There is another interesting article in this edition of APLIS: DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS TO DELIVER LEARNING PROGRAMS: THE MOONEE VALLEY EXPERIENCE Troy Watson Manager Library and Learning, Moonee Valley City Council Victoria, Aplis 25(4) December 2012.

It discusses how through collaboration and partnerships, Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre provides informal and formal training programs.

It seems to be a bit of a theme for libraries in Victoria to be developing learning and/or lifelong learning frameworks - I wonder how long before other states follow?

In my libraries, I know there is a need for basic computer training for the community.  How do I know this, because when I first started working here four years ago, the first thing I did was run computer training sessions.  Each session was fully booked - it wasn't that hard as I only had 7 computers to work with in one branch, five in another and four in another.  So it didn't allow for big numbers of attendees.  We also don't have laptops available for use.

I ran the lessons on my Monday - which is technically supposed to be a day for me to catch up on my managerial/running three branch libraries tasks and also attend team leader meetings/book selection at HQ.

In the end I burnt out.  The classes were not sustainable as I was the only one doing them and I had to play catch up with my other tasks.

Since then our library service has subscribed to an online computer tutorial program which is where we direct our library members when asked about computer lessons.  One of our local neighbourhood centres also runs one-on-one lessons at a cost.

I have thought about partnering with a training provider but as we are not set up with a computer training room or laptops - it won't really work well.  Also, I don't believe that those that need computer training the most are in the position to pay for the lessons - so who pays the training provider to run the lessons.

In one of my branches I don't even have the funding to run story time sessions - which I really do consider a core library service.  We had a volunteer doing it for a while but then they asked for employment or payment.  Again not sustainable.

I have a list of possible programs a mile long which I would love to roll out, but can't - not because the need isnt' there but because the resources aren't there nor is the funding.  And don't you worry I keep my eye out for grants all the time - but most ask for some in kind or dollar for dollar funding commitment which won't/can't happen and then if you do get the funds how do you make the program sustainable?

I'm sure I'm not the only one with these challenges and I'm sure that someone out there has a creative mind that may be able to suggest things to overcome these challenges - I'm open to suggestions.

The other thing that I always think about when it comes to library programs in my community is often when we do surveys the community will always say we are doing a great job and they are happy with the services already offered.  My question is - how do they know what they are missing out on if they have never had it on offer before?

Sorry for the long post and ramble and a bit of whinging - which really didn't have much to do with the destiny card of Care - but I care for my communities (as mentioned previously the three libraries I manage all have very different communities) and I care for my library service - which is probably why I get so torn up when discussing programs and resources and funding.

Blog December Post 28/Blog12daysxmas post 3 - Excuse me, I'm Reading

Today's Destiny Card is Leadership.

However, once more I'm not going to focus on the Destiny card and instead focus on the third day of Christmas... I did two hour long walks, mowed two lawns and bought two books for myself for Christmas.

I am now in the process of reading one of those books - Man Drought by Rachael Johns so won't be spending long on this post as the book is really really good!!

As for leadership - if I discuss it, I will think about work and I promised that I wouldn't think about work while on holidays so I'm not discussing leadership.

Now back to Imogen and Gibson and their romance story....

Blog December Post 26/Blog12DaysXmas Post 2 - Share the Love of Reading

Today's Destiny Card is Love.

Love is a strong word that is sometimes used too much and sometimes used not enough.

There are many things I love but this is not what this post will be about.

On the second day of Christmas.... I learnt about "reader activism" - thanks to a retweet by @flexnib of the following blog post: Rise up, readers

The article talks about "reader activism."  So how can you become a reader activist?  The article suggests the following:

Write reviews on your favourite bookstore websites or those most often visited. On Amazon, for example, this makes a difference in the way a writer's books appear as "recommendeds". Use GoodReads like the passionate publicist you can now be. Let authors know that you are supporting them - as reader activist Peta Kelly does. Send out links to friends, sharing news of book blogs such as this one - or a particular review or article that's inspired you. Send them far and wide. Buy new, not second hand (no royalty for the author). Don't lend too generously; buy books for others - and for yourself. Most of all, value your vital part in any writer's success - or survival. Time matters as much as money. Use social media. Make your views known, and make them count.

I always have good intentions of writing reviews of the books I've read, but then don't follow through - unless I'm doing reviews for Australian Library Journal (I class that as work not leisure).

I do use GoodReads to record what I've read and what I'd like to read, but only rate books using the star method - no reviews.

I try to let the author know that I've enjoyed their books when I can.  And I use social media to spread the word.

However, I rarely buy new because I use the library and when I do buy new, I certainly share or donate to the library.

So based on their suggestions, would you consider yourself a reader activist?

Other suggestions include:
If somebody lends you a copy of a book she loved, buy a copy to give to another friend.
If you can’t afford to buy a new book, borrow it from your library. If a book you want to read is constantly on hold, ask your library to order another copy. Australian authors receive a small annual payment related to the number of copies of their books held in libraries, so every copy does help.
If an author you enjoy asks you to join her email list, don’t hesitate. Email lists are the best way authors have of communicating with their readers and letting them know of events, media interviews and that next book. You can also let your own friends know there’s a new book coming, making yourself look very knowledgeable in the process! 
Attend literary events featuring authors you’ve enjoyed reading. Invite a friend along. Ask the author a question. She won’t bite – she will be relieved that someone has asked a question.
If you’ve just finished a book you loved, let your online community know about it. Sometimes a passing reference in a Facebook post is all it takes to convince a reader to finally buy that book she keeps hearing about.

I particularly like the "attend literary events" suggestion.  I find it interesting that a number of people don't like to meet the author of their favourite books as it may spoil the illusion - like meeting the actor that played your favourite character and they are nothing like them.  And some don't want to know what makes the author ticks - they just like to read.

Do you like meeting authors of your favourite books?

If you are interested in attending a literary event - the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival is on in March 2013 - I'd love to say hello to my fellow blog readers!!

So in the end this blog post was a bit about love - it is about sharing the love of reading via reader activism!!

Blog December Post 25/Blog 12DaysofChristmas Post 1 - Initiative

Today's Destiny Card is Initiative.

Initiative:

The ability to assess and initiate things independently.

The power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do.

 

On the first of December I decided to take the initiative to challenge myself by blogging everyday of December.  I have noted some twitter friends of mine have taken the initiative to blog the 12 Days of Christmas - @jobeaz and @KRidwyn and I'm sure there are others on my twitter list that will join in - just look for #blog12daysxmas

 

I took part in #blog12daysxmas last year and found it an excellent initiative to force me to reflect on things - well at least for 12 days and that is what lead into #blogDecember for me this year - I wanted to see if I could go for more than 12 days.  So I am going to take the initiative and make my #blogDecember posts merge with #blog12daysxmas posts.

 

So on the first day of Christmas.... We took our guest, a very long time friend of my husbands, for a drive to Sawtell and Boambee (just South of Coffs Harbour and North of us at Urunga).  There are two great lookouts in these towns (suburbs of Coffs) that overlook the ocean and Sawtell has an ocean tidal pool.

 

 

(Photo above is the tidal pool at Sawtell)

 

From there we drove to the Coffs Harbour Jetty precient and went to the lookout there - it looks over the Jetty and Muttonbird Island.

 

(Photo above is looking over Coffs Harbour Jetty and Muttonbird Island)

We then went home and had a rather plain Christmas day lunch of toasted sandwiches and quickly drove 5 minutes up the road to Hungry Head beach for an afternoon swim.  We spent two hours splashing in the waves and it was a great way to finish Christmas day.

What I have found by having my husband's friend visit us, is that I'm getting to look at my backyard through fresh eyes and re-evaluating why we love living here.

As I sit here and hear the thunder roll off the mountains (and pray we will get some rain), I think how lucky I am to be living in this beautiful place.  Unfortunately we all have times where we get caught up in the stresses of work and economic pressure and forget to look around us and see what we have.

I have a beautiful family (who are all in good health) and we live in a beautiful place - what more could I ask for??!!  Merry Christmas everyone!!

(Photo above - me and my beautiful family)



 

Blog December Post 24 and Half - Where is Reading?

Just a quick post as I just saw this article and thought I have a bit to say.

Children turning their backs on TV

This article goes on to say " The ABS also found more children were taking up dancing and martial arts, with 27 per cent more pursuing an interest in dancing.

The number taking to the netball court fell 8 per cent, although netball still remains in the top three most popular sports for kids between 11 and 12.

Swimming remains the most popular activity for kids between five and 11."

If you click on the link to the ABS publication 4901.0.55.001 - Children's Participation in Sport and Leisure Time Activities, 2003 - 2012 then you will find no reference to reading.  I thought reading was a leisure time activity.  So where do you find the information about children and their reading habits?

This special article in the ABS 2012 Yearbook does discuss children and reading but it doesn't really provide statistics.

In my opinion it would've been great - being this year was the National Year of Reading - that some statistics had been found prior to the National Year of Reading so that some comparison could've been done on the completion of the National Year of Reading to show the true impact.

Has it resulted in improvement in the number of children reading - while not the main reason behind the National Year of Reading it is still interesting to note?

Has reading been raised in people's consciousness?  Was this a result of the National Year of Reading?

Are more people reading due to the National Year of Reading?

Anyway, just some random thoughts that this article prompted.

What are your thoughts?

Blog December Post 24 - Enthusiasm or lack of

Today's Destiny Card is Enthusiasm.

And today I unfortunately don't have the enthusiasm to blog.  There are absolutely no ideas coming to me about what to write.

All I can think of is that it is hot and we are going to go to the beach today - that's where my enthusiasm lays - at the beach.

I have always been enthusiastic about reading and libraries.  I finished reading Zoe's Muster by Barbara Hannay (great read by the way) and I'm looking at my other pile of books with little enthusiasm to start them.

And today, I can't even think about libraries with enthusiasm - I am on holidays and I need to let go because thinking about libraries leads me to think about work and I don't want to think about work these holidays.

I apologise for the lack of enthusiasm in this post but I suppose it is the holidays and it is Christmas eve and it is hot and I just want to go to the beach!!

Perhaps my enthusiasm for blogging and a great idea will pop into my head later!

Have a great day!

Blog December Post 23 - It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Today's Destiny Card is Flexibility.

As a I have confessed, I do like routine, but this holiday's I have promised to remain flexible and go with the flow more often.

Last night we had the Urunga Carols.  Every year since moving down here, my daughter and I have gone along for the long haul of 4 hours of carols that lead up to the grand finale of fireworks.  This year we have the pleasure of hosting my husband long time friend.  It was great having a refreshing pair of eyes at the carols.  My husband friend continued to rave about what a great event the carols are and how it is great to see our community come together for it.  I must admit that there seemed to be a lot more people there then previous years.

The carols really make it sink in that Christmas is not far away.  The star in the big pine tree on Morgo St - that runs along the foreshore is another sign that Christmas is around the corner.  Of course, small child constantly reminds us of how many days until Santa comes!!

I'm particularly enjoying the lead up to Christmas this year because it is not raining.  The last four years I have felt cheated of a true summer.  And while many whinge about the heat and humidity - that is Christmas to me and we are certainly getting it this year!!

Today we will show my husband's friends some sights from our area and it is really great he is visiting at this time of the year because it is forcing all of us to get out and away from our normal routine and do something - as opposed to sitting in the house and whinging (not me) about the heat!!  I am embracing flexibility!!

So I apologise that my posts are going a bit soft at the moment but with the weather being so good and having a guest in the house - it does not allow for long moments of thoughts before posting.

However, I will share this - once again I read it on a FB/blog post this morning and thought it was a bit quirky - Since 1996, 31 Australians have died by watering a Christmas tree with the lights on.
Ref: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Blog December Post 22 - Where are the presents?

Today's Destiny Card is Gentleness and I have to say I was showed extreme gentleness when I went grocery shopping this morning amongst the last minute Christmas rush.  I came out the other side unscathed so I'm relieved.

I'm not going to focus this post on Gentleness but on something I read this morning.  It was on a blog post with a picture of a Christmas tree with nothing under it.  The comment mentioned the "virtual Christmas" with the author saying that their children had asked for digital music, ebooks, digital games etc so there was nothing to put under the tree.  Is this something that will be more familiar in the near future?

Growing up, our Christmas presents were put under the Christmas tree as soon as the tree was up.  And my brother and sister and I used to try to tear little corners off so that it wasn't noticable to our parents, but was enough to see what we were getting.  I don't think we were good at surprises, yet I don't think we ever managed to rip enough off to see what it was.

My husband grew up with a different tradition due to his German/Scottish parents.  They would open their gifts at Midnight on Christmas Eve.

Before child, we participated in this with his neices when we were invited to Christmas eve dinner.  I used to struggle to stay awake and I have no idea how the kids managed.

Once our child was old enough - think she was 5 years old - we tried it.  We let her go to sleep Christmas eve and then work her at midnight.  I remember that she was half asleep and displaying little excitement and we were all zombies (very tired) the next day.  Needless to say we have dropped that tradition and we put the presents out after she's gone to bed Christmas eve and she opens them Christmas morning.

At this stage the gifts are not "virtual."  Although, mine may be as I want books and I didn't want to go shopping for them so think I may be purchasing them online on Christmas day!!

However, it may well be that in coming years we find that our daughter will want things that are "virtual" and there will be nothing to put under the tree, except maybe for a gift card or two for online credit.

I apologise for the lateness of this post but we are expecting a guest today - a friend of my husband's whom he hasn't seen since before we met - so I've never met him.  They've been friends for ever and reconnected a few years back via phone calls.  I'm not sure how I feel with a someone who is a stranger to me staying with us but I suppose I'll just go with the flow.

And we are praying for no rain or storms this evening as the Urunga Carols are on and we will be heading down at 5pm and staying on till the fireworks at 9pm and then the traditional drive around town looking at the Christmas lights. 

While today we are melting away in the humidity, I can't help but feel that the Christmas weather of my childhood has returned - now all I have to do is convince my husband to allow me to watch the Boxing Day test match and all will be good!!

Blog December Post 21 - A call to Action

Today's Destiny Card is Action - well actually the first one I pulled was Prudence but I really couldn't think hard enough to write a post on prudence so action it is!

This week has been a week of action - well the whole year has been really, but because I'm on leave as of tomorrow, the action has ramped up this week.  I had to make sure I completed most tasks that had to be done before I go on leave.

There has been a lot happening at work with regard to staffing.  One of my hardest working staff members (ok they all work hard but this one works particularly hard) is going to be off on sick leave for some time.  This is making rostering for relief staff a very fun (not really) task for me.  At the same time, I'm trying not to get too caught up in my management hat to become desensitised to what my staff member is going through during this difficult time.

This staff member works with me regularly and we have come to work together really well.  Where I lapse, they step in, where they lapse, I step in.  We almost don't have to communicate when we are on together as we just know when to step in and what to do.  This person is possibly the most organised person I know and prior to going on leave had organised that we had enough stationery, soap and toilet paper, got the Christmas decorations up, put together the stuff we needed for the Summer Reading program, and basically left with everything ready to go.

Now the leave will be extended, and I don't think they were prepared for the extent of their leave.  And some of the tasks that they do really well, like tallying up all the money at the end of the month (I really suck when it comes to numbers and maths), will have to be done by me.

I will be working with a few different staff members during this time, so the communication aspect will have to be worked on.  I will have to remember to be more communicative to them as we don't have that working relationship as I do with my staff member on leave.

I think it will be a challenging time but it is probably going to be good for me to be more communicative and work at getting procedures and everything more up to date.  So really it's a call to Action for me. 

I really hope that I do have a relaxing and refreshing break as next year is looking to be a challenging one - but then really, when aren't they!!

On a happier note - this afternoon is our work Christmas party and I'm really looking forward to kicking the heels up (well not as much as I could as the boss will be there and all) and talking with staff from all areas of the organisation.

Blog December Post 20 - Discretion

Today's Destiny Card is Discretion.

When posting to any social media outlet, I am always aware of being discreet.  I try to keep politics out of my posts so as not to offend anyone or perhaps I'm more concerned with how people will judge me - which is a bit stupid because really people have the right (if they are friends with me) to really know who I am.  However, there are just some topics I know not to discuss because my views are quite different to the majority and the topics are sensitive ones that are sure to raise the hackles.

But wouldn't it be a great world if we could all discuss our beliefs and views without fear of argument or ridicule?  I suppose it would make for boring debates, but I have always thought that your beliefs, views and values are your own and you have your reasons for having them, so when discussing them you should only have to justify why you have them not why they are good or why they should be the only right views, beliefs, values etc.

That does not mean I'm not open to changing my views, beliefs, values based on a good reason to, but at the same time, I'm not going to hate someone or think less of them if theirs are different to mine.

I think in the library profession this is important because we are in contact with many different people from different backgrounds and who have different beliefs, values, views - and it is not our role to change them or judge them due to those beliefs, values, views.  In a way, libraries have the role of being the safe place where people can read/find information about their beliefs, values, views without fear of being ridiculed.  Well that's my thought anyway - do you agree?

Well, I am up to day 20 of Blog December and today I am tired - there is only 2 days until I'm on holidays for 2 and half weeks - I can't wait!!  I pray for warm, sunny weather and relaxing times!!

Blog December Post 19 - Finding a balance

Today's Destiny Card word is Balance.

This morning on my Facebook feed I came across the following poem someone had posted:

slow down mummy, there is no need to rush,
slow down mummy, what is all the fuss?
slow down mummy, make yourself a cup tea.
Slow down mummy, come and spend some time with me.

...

slow down mummy, lets put our boots on and go out for a walk,
lets kick at piles of leaves, and smile and laugh and talk.
slow down mummy, you look ever so tired,
come sit and snuggle under the duvet and rest with me a while.

slow down mummy, those dirt dishes can wait,
slow down mummy, lets have some fun, lets bake a cake!
slow down mummy I know you work a lot,
but sometimes mummy, its nice when you just stop.
sit with us a minute,
 & listen to our day,
spend a cherished moment,
because our childhood is not here to stay!

 

R.Knight 2011

 

And of course, I immediately suffered mummy guilt!!

 

I returned to work (on a casual basis) when my daughter was one year old.  I am forever thankful that my employer during that time allowed me to take 12mths leave at half pay, as many mothers don't get that luxury.

 

She was cared for by friends and my mum for a while because the shifts were a bit hard to predict.  Not long after I got full time work and she was put into daycare.  It tore into me each morning as she would cry at every drop off!!  Even when the daycare centre assured me she enjoyed it.  I do have some photos of my daughter during this time and happiness does not reflect deeply in her eyes so I know she wasn't happy.

 

My husband was working casually and in the end it made sense for him to stay at home rather than pay what he was earning in daycare fees.  So when my daughter was 2, my hubby became her full time carer.

 

While I can not dismiss the great bond this has allowed my husband and daughter to develop.  And I can not dismiss how ready I was to return to work to feel like a "person" again.  It still affected me with how little time I got to spend with my daughter.

 

Now she is in school, I think it is a lot easier.  She understands more why I have to work.

 

We spend weekends together.  I still sleep with my child even though she is almost 7 because it makes me feel better being there for her at night.  I help her do homework and read together.  And until my husband finds work, she will still get time with her dad every afternoon and during holidays (although we have started breaking that up a bit with vacation care as she was getting a bit bored and my hubby needs some time to himself too!)

 

Next year will be a test.  I have been successful in gaining another job.  So I will be working full time and also working as a part time online teacher for the local TAFE's library studies area.  It will be a test for me to find that balance - well it will be a test to the whole family!  But I know of others that do it, so will most likely be looking to them for advice where things get tough.

 

I'm excited by the challenge and feel I'll be giving back to the profession as well as developing some excellent skills myself.

 

As for my daughter and I, I think we will be doing our "homework" together.  And if we find it is not working so well, then we can all re-evaluate the situation and look for a better balance.

Blog December Post 18 - Spontaneity

Today's Destiny Card is Spontaneity.

I've been called lots of things but spontaneous is not one of them.

I like routine.  And being thrown from my routine can make me feel a bit uncomfortable.

That said - I'm willing to work on this!

I have four days of work left before I have two and a half weeks of leave.  I am now promising that when I am on leave, I will not develop a routine.  I will not feel uncomfortable if for some reason I miss going for a walk during the day, or wake up at a different time, or do something unplanned.  I promise to go with the flow!

We constantly talk about how it is good for libraries to have a similar "look" or layout to them so that once one person has worked out how one library works, they can go into another and not have to re-learn how it works.  It's a consistent approach.

But I think you will agree that libraries need a degree of spontaneity.

We need something that sets us apart from an everyday visit to the library.  Not just a new service being offered or a unique program, but something spontaneous that brings an element of surprise and jolts a library user into thinking that it might be great to come back into the library in case something spontaneous happens again.

I have to admit I'm a bit low on ideas for this one or how it would work (being a routine person and all) - but feel free to share some spontaneous ideas you might have.

I mean maybe we can expand on what we do on Library Lovers Day and on different days offer a book wrapped in brown paper (no not a naughty book) along with a borrowers other books to allow them a spontaneous read.

Or maybe we decide on a beautiful sunny day to take storytime outside without planning for it.

Anyway, you can see my lack of spontaneity is holding me back in coming up with ideas.  But I would love for people to share their ideas!!

Blog December Post 17 and a half - A champagne coated man

In a previous post about Secret Santa, I mentioned an excellent gift I received last year.

Here is the re-written Dr Suess book that I got from Secret Santa.  Warning it is rather long and I don't wish to cause any offence!

A Champagne Coated May by Secret Santa

I am Sharon

I am Sharon

Sharon I am

That Sharon-I-am

That Sharon-I-am!

I do so like

that Sharon-I-am

Do you like

a champagne coated man

I do not like them,

Sharon-I-am.

I do not like

a champagne coated man.

Would you like them

Here or there?

I would not like them

here or there.

I would not like them

anywhere.

I do not like

a champagne coated man.

I do not like them,

Sharon-I-am

Would you like them

in a house?

Would you like them

with your spouse?

I do not like them

in a house.

I do not like them

with my spouse.

I do not like them

here or there.

I do not like them

anywhere.

I do not like a champagne coated man.

I do not like them, Sharon-I-am.

Would you try them

in the pool?

Would you try them

on a mule?

Not in the pool.

Not on a mule.

Not in a house.

Not with my spouse.

I would not try them here or there.

I would not try them anywhere.'

I would not try a champagne coated man.

I do not like them, Sharon-I-am.

Would you? Could you?

In a car?

Taste them! Taste them!

Here they are.

I would not,

could not,

in a car

You may like them.

You will see.

You may like them

in a tree?

I would not, could not in a tree.

Not in a car! You let me be.

I do not like him in a pool.

I do not like him on a mule.

I do not like him in a house.

I do not like him with my spouse.

I do not like him here or there.

I do not like him anywhere.

I do not like a champagne coated man.

I do not like him, Sharon-I-am.

A train! A train!

A train! A train!

Could you, would you

on a train?

Not on a train!  Not in a tree!

Not in a car! Sharon! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a pool.

I could not, would not, on a mule.

I will not try him with my spouse.

I will not try him in a house.

I will not try him here or there.

I will not try him anywhere.

I do not like him, Sharon-I-am.

Say!

In the dark?

Here in the dark!

Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not,

in the dark.

Would you, could you

in the rain?

I would not, could not, in the rain.

Not in the dark.  Not on a train.

Not in the car, not in a tree.

I do not like him, Sharon, you see.

Not in a house. Not in a pool.

Not with my spouse. Not on a mule.

I will not try them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere!

You do not like

a champagne coated man?

I do not

like them,

Sharon-I-am.

Could you, would you,

in a stable?

I would not,

could not,

in a stable!

Would you, could you

on a table?

I could not, would not, on a table.

I will not, will not, in a stable.

I will not try him in the rain.

I will not try him on a train.

Not in the dark! Not in a tree!

Not in a car!  You let me be!

I do not like him in a pool.

I do not like him on a mule.

I will not try him in a house.

I will not try him with my spouse.

I do not like him here or there.

I do not like him ANYWHERE!

I do not like

a champagne

coated man!

I do not like them,

Sharon-I-am.

You do not like them.

SO you say.

Try them!  Try them!

And you may.

Try them and you may I say.

Sharon!

If you will let me be,

I will try them.

You will see.

Say!

I like a champagne coated man!

I do!! I like them, Sharon-I-am!

And I would try him on a table!

And I would try him in a stable..

And I will try him in the rain.

And in the dark.  And on a train.

And in a car.  And in a tree.

They are so good so good you see!

So I will try him in a pool.

And I will try him on a mule.

And I will try him in a house.

Maybe not with my spouse!!

And I will try him here and there.

Say!  I will try him almost ANYWHERE!

I do so like

a champagne coated man!

Thank you!

Thank you,

Sharon-I-am.

Blog December Post 17 - Commitment

Today's Destiny Card is Commitment.

 

This weekend I read the following article in the Sydney Telegraph: We've failed to give kids education they need.  Seeing as it's coming to the end of the National Year of Reading, I thought this article was quite interesting.

 

It says that Australia is rated 27th of 48 countries test for reading skills.  And goes on to say "One quarter of our students even failed to meet the minimum standard for their age group, despite being among the relatively most advantaged in terms of reading resources, home environment and the emphasis on early grades on reading skills."

 

I'm a bit shocked.  The article then discusses how schools are continually asking for funding to deal with this issue, yet since the funding has been supplied the result has not improved.  So where are we going wrong??

 

I think an earlier article might hit the nail on the head.  In Well-known children's author Mem Fox says parents key to children's literacy as teachers want funding redirected, children's author, Mem Fox says: "I am so tired of that. If parents don't enjoy their children enough to read to them, if they don't make the time to do that with their kids, then whether they be rich or poor, disadvantaged or advantaged, if they don't make that time to love their children enough to do that for them, then they will not learn to read happily, quickly and easily.  Parents have a huge role here; it is not about teaching at all, it is just about reading to them."

 

When you decide to have a child, you make a commitment that you give that child the best chance you can give at providing them with a safe and happy upbringing.  But as a parent you also have a responsibility to teach them.

 

Yes when they get to school age there will be some things they learn better from a teacher, but as with everything they learn, they need their parents to support them and assist them where needed.

 

As an information professional and a lifelong reader, I read to my child while she was still in the womb and as soon as she was out of it, I kept going.  I recognised the importance of doing this simple task - not just to get her ready as a reader, but to create a bond between mother and child.

 

It's unfortunate, that some parents don't recognise this role or perhaps they can't read themselves.

 

Or perhaps it's a time thing.  As a parent, you often hear that we should be spending more time with our kids and less time working - well if only life was that simple.  With the economic situation the way it is, it is almost impossible to live without both parents working.  I realise there are arguments against this as well and we all have different standards of living we like to live to.  However, you must agree that we are all time poor.

 

I have an internal argument about homework.  My daughter got homework in kindergarten/prep, and while as a parent and child it frustrates you that you are spending quality time sweating over getting homework done, at least I get to see what my child is learning and how they are going with it.  That said, I think that the time would be better spent reading to/with your child then sweating over homework.

 

So what do we do if our children are not growing up knowing how to read?  If parents are failing their children by not teaching them to read or not being able to teach them to read?

 

I won't dwelve into the fact that the school library seems to have lost it's importance somewhere in the system as I think this is not the crutch of the situation.  Learning starts at home, so how do we, as information professionals, ensure that we assist in getting this message out there?  That reading to your child is important? 

 

I know libraries are doing some great things - but what do we do about those that haven't yet stepped through our doors??

Blog December Post 16 - Trust

Today's Destiny Card word is Trust.

 

There has been an interesting discussion over on the This Week In Libraries LinkedIn page about dealing with "old fashioned" colleagues and  managers.

 

The original question read: I notice that in public libraries at least some colleagues are still somewhat afraid to show themselves as a professional. To be proud about their work in their social network (I heard someone say: If I had to wear a uniform, everyone in the bus to work would see I'm a librarian, with fear in her voice...). And not only fysical but also online. Maybe they want to twitter with the library account, but with their personal account showing that they are a librarian... brrrrr. I think that's a shame and sometimes it irritates me. Do you recognize this and if so, how do you deal with it?

 

But then it changed to be more about how to get "old fashioned" colleagues to move with the times with regard to social media and technology.

 

I'm a proud librarian and I'm proud of my place of work - so I won't dwell on the first question.  I also know that my library staff are proud of what they do too.  However, I'm not sure how they would sit wearing uniforms and I know that they are certainly not comfortable promoting the library online.  I don't think the promoting online part has anything to do with being ashamed of what they do or where they work - it is technology uncomfortableness.

 

Technology uncomfortableness (excuse spelling and the fact that it may not even be a word) is not fear of technology - as they are all quiet happy to use computers - it's being uncomfortable or not confident in using a tool/device that they have not used before.  And where people like me jump in and try to "play" with something new until it isn't uncomfortable anymore.  My staff stop at stage one - they look at it, see that it is something new and they don't know how to use it - and then don't know how to take that next step without guidance.

 

And I think that is the point - guidance.  Maybe that should be the word of the day but I can link this in with trust - it's coming.

 

While the original post relates to social media, I'm going to relate it more to any new technology or device.

 

Our library has introduced downloadable eAudio books, Ancestry.com and we are about to launch Zinio - downloadable eMagazines.  With the first two products/resources, I found that my staff felt more comfortable and trusted themselves to be able to promote these resources to our library members, after they had received training.  And not training from me, because I feel it's a bit like children, when a parent tries to show their child something, sometimes the child won't listen because they know their parent too well or don't think their parent knows what they are doing (not saying I don't know what I'm doing), but when someone new and fresh shows the child something, the child absorbs.  The same can be said with my staff.

 

Often I will show them something, it sinks in a bit but not as much as having someone new and fresh providing the training.  It is also a formal step whereas if I train them they would take it as informal and possibly not as serious.

 

So I provide them with the access to and time to attend formal training on the resources we are introducing.  And they trust that I will do that.

 

That said, with Zinio due to the timing of the training, I was the only staff member available to attend and the launch will be happening when I am on leave.  I have downloaded the user manual and sent the link around and asked staff to take time to familiarise themselves with this new resource.  I trust that they will do that (fingers, toes and eyes crossed - shhhh).

 

This week I will sit with those I can sit with and go through it with them and I will assist over the telephone with those I can't yet get to.  Then when I return from holidays, I will organise a formal training session in a time and place they can all get to.

 

So to sum up, I think to overcome technology uncomfortableness you have to provide your staff with support and training and trust.  And eventually that technology uncomfortableness will be less so.

 

 

Blog December Post 15 - Communication

Today's Destiny Card word is Communication.

Yesterday communication happened in a good way and a bad way.

At 7.40am I was contacted by our facilities manager that one of my branch libraries had been broken into.  At this stage, as he was still at home, he could only tell me that a window had been broken and our cash holders were found outside.

I then phoned the casual staff member that was to be working there that day as I was working at a different branch and let her know.

I then had another phone call from our Council ranger saying that if our casual could come and get him first and he could take her through the library without touching anything to see if anything was missing.

So I rang my casual back and let her know.  My casual is one of those that goes beyond the call of duty, so even if she wasn't supposed to be in at work till 9.30am, she said she'd head up to the library now - she doesn't live that far from the library.  I was thankful for this as my hubby needed the car and I had to get small one to school and get the other branch library open.

Later she rang to give me an update, and the facilities manager also called in to report the windows had been fixed.

So in that case, the communication worked well.

However, as we are going through a restructure, I totally forgot to inform my new deputy general manager.  So with tail between my legs, I contacted her late in the day - and was very thankful that she had been kept in the loop and totally understood when I apologised for not calling.

So while my communication had been good between my casual and I, it had fallen down between my reporting manager and I.  But we will be having a meeting about libraries and the break in on Monday.

Now back to the break in - I expect to get some hand slapping as we really shouldn't be keeping money on the premises and it should be locked up etc etc.  However, the library has been functioning this way for the last 20 odd years without a break in - honestly, why would a thief think there would be heaps of cash in a library??  We are only a small branch and I would think they were lucky to get $100 out of us.  And they went straight to where we keep the cash which means they've been in the library a few times to know where we keep it.

Retrospect is a wonderful thing and really this incident is probably a good thing because it will force us to look at our current money handling processes and make necessary changes.

And if they catch those that did the break in - I'm planning on asking to include community service in the library as punishment - because I'm sure they will enjoy spending days on end putting books in order!!! 8-)

Blog December Post 14 - Giving

Today's Destiny Card is giving.

 

Quite fitting for the month of December as we do seem to do a lot of giving during this month with Christmas and all!!

 

Libraries are constantly giving.  We give people access to information, we give people a space, we give people access to technology, we give people escapism, and the list goes on.

 

Unfortunately, the powers that be often see the library as a place where too much giving (in terms of dollars) happens and not much receiving.  And this can be the hardest thing for libraries to justify.

 

Value is often viewed in monetary terms, and lets face it, libraries don't bring in the dollars.

 

The library value calculator is a good tool to put the value of libraries in monetary terms, but this is really a justification to the library user.

 

There have been many state reports that show the economic value of a library.  Enriching Communities says: Economic activity measures the contribution of public libraries to the economy in real terms and was estimated at $810.2 million. Thus for each dollar expended on public libraries, $2.82 of real economic activity is generated.

 

Of course, economic value is not the only value library users/communities gain from libraries - Enriching Communities also mentions the following:

• Library users visit for an average of 35 minutes, view the library more as a cost-saver than a time-saver and are attracted mainly by the fixed collections, the availability of professional support and the friendly atmosphere.
• The top five outcomes from public library use are enhanced quality of life; enhanced enjoyment from hobbies; ability to obtain information not available elsewhere; facilitation of lifelong learning; and support for children’s education.
• The top five contributions to the community were seen as being a safe and pleasant place to visit; supporting educational facilities; facilitating lifelong learning; encouraging responsible social behaviour; and ensuring access to the Internet for all. The underlying themes are clearly those of safety, harmony, equity and education.
• Public libraries principal contribution to community culture is through their lending, reference and local history collections. There is also an appreciative audience for cultural activities such as local art displays and talks by visiting authors.

So as library professionals we have to show those that are looking for the monetary value of libraries, that it's not all about money - it's about the things I have just listed above.  Libraries give our communities all of those things.

 

And in return, well I don't know about you, but I certainly get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I think about what I have provided to my community through being a library professional and a human that more often than not, has a relationship with them!!

 

Blog December Post 13 - Sincerity

I got a set of Destiny Cards from my work Secret Santa and my word for today from the Destiny Cards is Sincerity!!

I thought I might use these cards as a prompt for what to post about.  But since the meaning of Sincerity is: The quality or condition of being sincere; genuineness, honesty, and freedom from duplicity. It may be a little deep for a morning post.  I'll try another word tomorrow.

Some of you may have read my "half post" from last night about the passing of one of my dear readers/borrowers.  Yesterday did have some fun moments to make up for that awfully sad one.

We had work Secret Santa - which I mentioned above.  With our Secret Santa you nominate to particpate and you draw a name out of a hat of a fellow worker - as we a small organisation it is organisation wide not just libraries - and I am the only library staff member that participates.  So I often pick people that I don't know very well which can make the gift buying difficult.

The rules of gift buying are simple - a limit of $10.

Usually if you know the person well you can find something fun or buy something and then make it fun.  For example, one year my car kept breaking down so my Secret Santa bought me a car care kit with screw driver, sponge, and car washing detergent.  Another example was from last year when some clever Secret Santa re-wrote a Dr Suess book for me - I may share this on a later post.

Needless to say, yesterday afternoon had a lot of laughter as our "Santa" handed gifts out and each participant has to read the card/poem/instructions out to everyone.

It was a nice way to finish up an otherwise sad day!

Blog December Post 12 and a half - Sometimes we cry

I had to share this short post as I'm sure a lot of you have been in this situation before.

Today an elderly gentleman came into the library to purchase honey - we sell pots of local honey in our library.

He was looking a bit more fragile than usual and no smile.

I told him we we were out of honey. He then handed me his wife's library card - I had been wondering where she was as she is usualy with him - and informed me that she had passed away last week.

I imediately came around the desk and gave him a hug and expressed my sympathy through tears.  His wife was such a warm soul and I always enjoyed her visits.

He griped my hand and let me know when the memorial is being held for her.

You see it is not only the books and our library we have a relationship with but our readers as well.

Blog December Post 12 - It's one of those days

I must admit, I'm a bit stumped about what to write today.

I could ask those that read this blog - what would you like to see me write about?

Anyway, instead I will bore you with how frustrating my day was yesterday.  You may remember that I predicted that this week would be stressful.  It makes me wonder why I take leave, as when I return there is so much work to do.  And I had only 3 days off this time!!

So yesterday was frustrating for a number of reasons but I suppose I really can't go into them because some are political, and some regard the lack of space on the shelves for books which is causing me no end of frustration as I have weeded and weeded and weeded - so I may just have to purchase new shelves which is not an easy task at this time of year.

I also ended the day with another one of our public computers going stupid.  And due to our limited IT staff, I know we will most likely have to wait a while before it is fixed - with school holidays coming up it will cause extra stress filling bookings - can't wait to get a computer booking system.

Then I got home and found that we have only received one calendar that my daughter had made at school (the students draw a picture and then they put it on a calendar) when I had ordered 3.  So today I have to chase up the school about it.

They had the school presentation "night" on yesterday "afternoon" at 5.30pm.  My bug bear about that is what about parents that work - I don't get home till around 6pm so never get to go to school functions.  Yes I could have tried to leave early but as mentioned above, yesterday was one of those days where that wasn't going to happen - unfortunately, most days are like that.

Then my last bug bear of the day was when I ordered some books from a particular online ebook shop and they are in ePub format.  However, they won't load onto Bluefire Reader on my tablet.  All other ePub books from other online shops do but not from this shop - the files come across as ACSM (I think that is the file format).  I am stumped and I can add that to another ebook frustration of mine!

So let's all toast our coffees, teas or milos to a better day today!!

Blog December Post 11 - Back to work

I'm heading back to work today after an extended weekend - I  had Thursday and Friday off last week, and yesterday off this week as my parents were down from Qld.

Due to the connected nature of the world today, I incidently read work emails while on leave.  This has enlightened me to the fact that this week may turn into a particularly stressful week.

There is some library politics going on, I have a staff member on sick leave and there may be issues around their return to work, and I may have to do some IT stuff that I really don't have time to do.

I've seen a few comments on Twitter about how the days leading up to Christmas always end up stressing people out - well it looks like it will be true in my case.

That said the positives about the coming weeks are:

• I only have 9 working days left until I'm on leave for 2 and half weeks
• The work Secret Santa party is on this week
• The work Christmas party is on next week
• I will have a Monday to catch up on everything
• I will have half hour with the teachers from a local school to share information about their local library and how it can assist them with teaching and leisure
• I will have a last day of work before Christmas - which is always a lot of fun!!

Blog December Post 10 - Making the invisible visible

It seems the week to discover interesting posts/articles - well for me anyway.

This morning I stumbled across this: Patience (and Marketing) Makes the Audience Grow Fonder

This article discusses how to market libraries most invisible resources - our online databases.

Database usage is something my library is about to investigate quite deeply - now that we have someone in the position to do it.  So it is fitting for me to read the above article with interest.

However, while the article does offer some good ideas, I've always wondered why, especially with journal databases, libraries are not supplied with catalogue records for all the journals that are contained within the database.

I realise that many will want to search a database by subject and get articles from a number of journals, but many of the databases we subscribe to have many lifestyle/scientific etc journals that some people may be interested in only looking at that particular title.

Also, if a library user searches the library catalogue for a particular journal title, then at least they know we hold it, rather than having to search both the library catalogue and try to find a list of journal titles on a database page.

Our library does have a federated search option - to search across all the databases and the library catalogue - but it is a bit clunky.

So what can we do to make our databases more visible to our library users?

Blog December Post 9 - It's all about me

I find it funny how both of these blog posts appeared within days of each other - wonder if the authors of the post had read the same article that prompted them to share their thoughts on this topic.

The first post is Me 2.0: Branding yourself online.
The second post is In the new world of work, modesty is no longer a virtue.

I'm not going to write much about both of these posts as I do think they are an interesting read and this is one way of sharing them.

However, I do remember when I was applying for my first job I got my mum to read the application.  She said it sounded like I was up myself.  I replied saying that you had to be that way and sell yourself to the employer.

As the Me 2.0 article says "My parents said to me, 'if you work hard enough the world will recognize what you do,' but we know that doesn't work.

"I tell my children, 'If you work hard enough to make yourself good at what you do, then you have to tell people about it.' Take command of the situation, know what you're good at and shout it from the rafters."

It seems perhaps that this trend has only been around since generation X - please correct me if I'm wrong - because prior to that I don't think people did have to sell themselves to get a job.

Or maybe it's just that as Australian's we find it uncomfortable to sell ourselves or talk about ourselves in that manner because of the tall poppy syndrome.

Now another article I came across this morning is not exactly about the "me" topic but it does delve into the social media and online presence topic.

It reminds us: It’s a sad reminder we live our lives almost like goldfish in a giant glass bowl consisting of billions of computer screens all around the world. In a rush of tweets a comment or an incident goes viral and its impact is exponential.

So while it is important to blow your own trumpet - be mindful of how you do it.

Blog December Post 8 - Born to Read

Yesterday I visited my parents down at their caravan and dad was in the van, on the bed reading a book.  This prompted me to think about how, growing up as a kid, I saw my parents read a lot.  My dad would sit in the lounge and read a book often, mum would wait till she was going to bed.

There was a period of time where I don't remember seeing mum read books, but she now reads more frequently then when I was growing up.

The point being is that I grew up in a family of readers.  My brother and sister read a lot and of course, that meant that I ended up a reader.  Although I have heard of cases where everyone reads in the family but one member doesn't so perhaps reading doesn't automatically flow on from having a family of readers - but I'm sure it helps.

As any reader, I have fond memories of books.  I remember when I was very little we went into Brisbane - which was a big thing for us as we didn't go there much as kids.  And it must have been around Christmas time as I remember lots of decorations hanging across the road. 

We went into a book store and all of us kids were allowed to buy a book.  I bought The Clock Book about how to tell the time.  I believe my sister bought Amelia Bedelia - I really love that book!!

Later I remember Tiki Tiki Tembo.

And Meg and Mog.

At school we had book club and mum allowed us to purchase a book each time.  They were all Penguin books and would come in a plastic bag with a Penguin logo on it - I loved getting book club!!

Now I love sharing the joy of reading with my daughter - who apparently could read before starting school but would never read to me - just to everyone else!!

I have already shared with her some of my favourite childhood books but Tiki Tiki Tembo I haven't been able to locate and buy yet, nor the original Amelia Bedelia.

Anyway, it seems apt to put some reading memory post in as the National Year of Reading comes to a close.

What are your reading memories?